These recipes feature anti-inflammatory components such as leafy greens, whole grains, and healthy fats, which can help you reduce chronic inflammation and associated unpleasant symptoms, such as digestive problems, joint stiffness, and mental fog.
Prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner ahead of time with these meal prep ideas. These recipes need three or fewer steps to prepare, making them simple and time-saving.
Delicious meals like our Roasted Veggie Mason Jar Salad and Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats will keep you nourished regardless of your schedule.
Vegan Lentils Soup
This vegan lentil soup dish is packed with fresh veggies and plenty of lentils, providing a healthy dose of fiber with each taste. This vegan soup is a delicious cold-weather lunch or nutritious dinner that the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons. No-salt tomato paste
- 4 cups of reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15 ounces) can of no-salt cannellini beans, washed
- 1 cup mixed dried lentils (brown, green, black)
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, with extra to garnish
- 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
Directions
- Heat up the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, while stirring, until the onions and carrots soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic is aromatic. While stirring, cook until the tomato paste is evenly coated, which should take about 1 minute.
- Mix in the broth, water, cannellini beans, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cover and boil for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the dill and vinegar. Garnish with more dill if preferred and serve.
Chicken Satay Bowls w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce
This simple meal-prep recipe pairs chicken satay, which originated in Indonesia and is popular throughout Southeast Asia, with a crunchy savoy cabbage slaw and creamy peanut sauce.
How to Prepare Your Ingredients
The secret to successful meal preparation is to measure, peel, cut, and cook all of your items before arranging them into containers. Follow these simple steps to prepare your ingredients.
Prepare the Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
This quick and easy Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce grills in about 6 minutes. The spicy peanut sauce can be prepared ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated for up to two days.
Slice the vegetables.
- Thinly slice savoy or green cabbage. Savoy cabbage resembles green cabbage except for its distinctive ruffled leaves. It tastes sweet and mild, comparable to napa cabbage.
- Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise from the stem end.
- Next, cut each half in half through the stem end, yielding four quarters.
- To remove the core, cut the bottom of each quarter at an angle.
- Place a cabbage wedge cut side down on a cutting board and slice lengthwise into very thin strips. To get shorter strips, cut the wedge crosswise.
- Thinly slice the red bell pepper, cut the carrots into matchsticks, and finely chop the green onion.
How To Serve
Chicken satay bowls are ideal for a quick and easy meal or a healthy lunch to bring to work throughout the week. Dress with spicy peanut sauce right before serving.
Ingredients:
- Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
- 6 cups of thinly sliced Savoy or green cabbage.
- 1/2 cup of thinly sliced red bell pepper.
- ½ cup of matchstick-cut carrots
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds.
Directions
- Follow the directions for making Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
- Remove the chicken from the skewers and cut it into pieces.
- Divide the sauce among four small condiment containers with lids and chill until ready to use.
To prepare the slaw
- Combine cabbage, bell pepper, carrots, and green onion in a large bowl.
- Divide the slaw among four single-serving, lidded containers. Top each with a quarter of the chicken and 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds. Dress with the reserved sauce right before serving.
Roasted Vegetable Mason Jar Salad
This vegan mason jar salad is simple to prepare and take for lunch. Layering the creamy cashew sauce at the bottom of the jar guarantees that your large, bold power salad does not wilt by the time you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Creamy Vegan Cashew Sauce.
- 1 cup roasted tofu and 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds.
- 1 cup of roasted veggies.
- 2 cups mixed greens.
Directions
- Layer the following ingredients in a 4-cup jar: sauce, tofu, pumpkin seeds, vegetables, and greens.
- Close firmly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cucumber Salad, Hummus, and Pita Bento Box Lunch
Enjoy this cool bento box idea during your lunch break. It combines cucumber salad, hummus, pita, and other ingredients to provide a filling work lunch.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup washed chickpeas.
- Ingredients: ¼ cup cucumber and ¼ cup diced tomato.
- 1 tablespoon of diced olives.
- 1 tablespoon of crumbled feta cheese.
- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley.
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar.
- 3 ounces of grilled turkey breast. Tenderloin or Chicken Breast
- 1 cup grapes.
- 1 whole wheat pita bread, quartered
- 2 tablespoons hummus.
Directions
- Combine chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta, parsley, oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Pack in a medium-sized container.
- Place the turkey (or chicken) in a medium container.
- Place grapes and pita in tiny containers, then hummus in a dip-sized container.
Meal Prep Vegan Lettuce Wraps
For this healthy lunch concept, we replace the usual heated filling with a chilled plant-based bean salad seasoned with fresh herbs and lemon. To protect the wrap from becoming soggy, sprinkle a small amount of quinoa on each lettuce leaf before filling it.
What is the Best Lettuce for Making Wraps?
In this recipe, we use butter or Bibb lettuce, a soft green lettuce with a gentle, sweet flavor. The leaves are round, cupped, and malleable, ideal for retaining the bean salad mixture. You can also use green leaf or romaine lettuce, which has a longer form and a crisp texture.
How Do I Keep Lettuce Crisp for Wraps?
Assemble the wraps right before serving to prevent the lettuce and mint from wilting. If you’re packing the wraps for lunch, you may put them together the night before or in the morning and chill until ready to pack with an ice pack.
Ingredients
- 2 heads of butter or bibb lettuce, leaves separated.
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, chilled until room temperature
- 4 cups Bean Salad With Lemon-Cumin Dressing(See Below)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint (reserved from the bean salad preparation)
Lemon-cumin dressing
Ingredients
- 1 small clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt divided
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 2 (15-ounces) cans of dark red kidney beans (see Tip), washed
- One 15-ounce can of chickpeas, washed
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
Directions
- Mix garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mash a fork to make a paste. Scrape the paste into a big bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, oil, lemon juice, cumin, and cinnamon until well combined. Stir in the kidney beans, chickpeas, carrots, parsley, and mint
- Serve at either room temperature or cold
Directions
To prepare a single serving of lettuce wraps
- Place three lettuce leaves in a single-serve covered container.
- Top each leaf with 2 Tbsp of quinoa and 1/3 cup of bean salad.
- Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 tablespoons mint.
- Refrigerate for up to a day.
Peanut Butter Protein Overnight Oats
Powdered peanut butter is a cupboard staple that works well as a vegan protein supplement in porridge and smoothies. This recipe can be doubled up to prepare breakfasts for the week or to feed the entire family.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soymilk or other plant-based milk
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter
- Pinch of salt
- ½ medium sliced banana or 1/2 cup berries
Directions
- Combine soymilk (or alternative milk), oats, syrup, chia, powdered peanut butter, and salt in a 2-cup mason jar. Refrigerate overnight
- Serve garnished with banana or berries
- Tip: If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, you should use “gluten-free” oats, as they are frequently cross-contaminated with wheat and barley
- To get ahead, Prepare through Step 1 and chill for up to four days
Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas and Tuna
This power salad contains 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, which will keep you fed for hours. Tossing the dressing and kale together, then letting it sit in the jar, softens it sufficiently that you don’t need to massage or sauté it to make it tender.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of kale cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 teaspoons honey mustard vinaigrette
- 1 2.5-ounce bag of tuna in water
- 1/2 cup rinsed canned chickpeas.
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
Directions
- Combine the kale and dressing in a dish, then transfer to a 1-quart mason jar. Top with tuna, chickpeas, and carrots. Place the lid on the jar and refrigerate for up to two days
- To serve, transfer the contents of the jar to a bowl and mix to blend the salad components with the prepared kale
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